Careful What You Wish For
by chibigirl8
Summary: A wish is made. A wish is granted. But can it be changed. RyoSaku. My 1st fanfic. Please enjoy.
1. Chapter 1 The Wish

This is my first story ever. I've been working on it for a short while. Please enjoy.

Summary: What if you wish for something and the last person in the world who was suppose to hear it, heard it. RyoSaku.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Prince of Tennis.

Chapter 1

The Wish

"C'mon, Sakuno, you're going to be late!" called Tomoka, a.k.a. the loud mouth brunette.

"T-Tomo, I'm coming, but why are w-we r-running?" gasped her sweet and gentle best friend, Sakuno.

"Because it's so exciting. You actually get to interview Ryoma-sama!"

It was true. Echizen Ryoma did in fact agree to do an interview for the school paper. Since it was the last article for Sakuno in Jr. High as the sports reporter, Sakuno begged Ryoma to help her go out with a bang. That's right Sakuno, the shy and quiet girl, begged Ryoma, Prince of Tennis and her close friend, for an exclusive. And with it being only a month until graduation, he finally agreed.

"B-but Tomo, w-why are you c-coming with me?"

"I'm just walking you there. So Sakuno, how excited are you?"

Sakuno, however, did not get the chance to answer as they heard a certain boy with 5 years of tennis experience yell to the subject of their conversation. The girls looked around the corner, and saw Horio and Ryoma talking.

"So Echizen, I heard you have an interview with Ryuzaki."

Ryoma raised his eyebrow as if to say "so."

Horio went on to say, "You must like Ryuzaki since you never do interviews."

Hearing this Sakuno squeezed her hands around the tape recorder she was holding, not realizing she had pressed record.

"I don't like her," Ryoma answered simply.

"Eh? Then why did you agree?" Horio asked confused.

"She was being a bother. I did it to shut her up."

"Well, it's okay right. At least she's beautiful."

"All she is, is annoying. She's bad at directions, clumsy, and worst of all is her squeaky, little voice. All she does is stutter. I personally wish she would not talk anymore."

Sakuno couldn't take anymore. Soon Tomoka joinded her best friend.

"Sakuno, I'm so sorry."

"…"

"Sakuno, look the tape recorder."

Sakuno saw the recorder rolling. She pressed stop. And went home, not speaking a word to anyone.


	2. Chapter 2 Consequences

Chapter 2

Consequences

Once safely inside her house, Sakuno cried. She couldn't believe how stupid she could be. Ryoma was never her friend. He only started acting like a friend when Kaidoh and Momoshiro graduated. Before that he only told her that her "hair was too long." Why should he care? Sakuno realized that she must just look like a stupid fan girl to him. And yet, she still liked him. He was her first crush. After they became friends, she thought that it was enough. Now she knows how he truly feels.

Sakuno stayed in her room all night. When her grandmother came to the door, she acted like she was already asleep. Her tears continued to fall silently. What could she do? After a few hours, Sakuno finally came to a decision.

_Where is Ryuzaki?_ Ryoma thought. She was supposed to be here half an hour ago. If stupid Horio didn't come along, he wouldn't have been almost late for the interview. Thinking of what happened with Horio gave Ryoma a headache. He had to pull some of his best lying to the surface. He didn't want to admit that in truth he did like Sakuno. He even waited until all of his sempai had graduated before he actually approached Sakuno as a friend. Ryoma liked that everyone thought he was emotionless.

Ryoma looked around once more for Sakuno. He sighed. He needed to get home, and couldn't wait any longer. It seemed the tables had turned. Ryoma was the one who was stood up, and Sakuno was the one to stand him up.

The world has gone mad. Nothing was as it should be. Ryoma was seriously thinking that a big prank was being pulled. First, Sakuno skipped out on the interview yesterday. And now, she was avoiding him. Finally, it was lunch. Maybe now he can find Sakuno, and talk to her. Luck was on his side when Ryoma spotted her heading towards the roof.

"Oi! Ryuzaki."

Sakuno visibly froze where she stood. She didn't need to turn around to know whose voice that was.

"Where were you yesterday?" Ryoma asked.

She guessed she would have to tell him her decision. He would figure it out anyway. Slowly Sakuno turned around.

"Hey, you gonna answer me?"

"I'm giving the story to someone else," Sakuno whispered.

"What?" Ryoma was furious. How dare she betray him, or did she? "Did someone threaten you? Are you being forced?"

"What? Of course not. I just think that it's time for us to distance ourselves."

Ryoma just stared at her. He didn't get where she was coming from. This came out of nowhere. "Why?"

"I don't want to be a bother to you anymore."

"Who told you were being a bother? You're not, you're my friend."

"You don't have to try to spare my feelings. I know you don't feel that way."

"Stop saying that," Ryoma was practically yelling now. Sakuno's eyes were going wide in fright. This was out of Ryoma's character. He was always cool and calm.

"Please, stop lying to me." Sakuno's eyes had tears in them. She had to stay strong. She couldn't cry. Sakuno walked past Ryoma so that she could exit and he wouldn't see the tears. "It's time that we end this friendship. You're Echizen-san to me now, understand?"

She didn't wait for an answer. And even if she did, Ryoma was too stunned to do anything.


	3. Chapter 3 The Accident

A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for all the support. I hope you enjoy. I think this is the best chapter yet.

I do not own Prince of Tennis.

Chapter 3

The Accident

One month. It has been one month since Sakuno had spoken a word to Ryoma. Whenever it seemed she was looking at him, she was truly seeing through him. He didn't matter to her now. Ryoma had become a faint memory if you asked Sakuno.

And though she has tried everything to convince herself, she was still having a hard time believing it. Sakuno was just thankful that she had gotten through graduation. She decided to use her vacation to fully get over Echizen Ryoma. That's just what she needed: time to become stronger. It's only been a month since she separated herself for Ryoma, and now she can think about what he said about her and not have tears come to her eyes. Yes, it still hurt her. To have to rid herself of her first and only love was something she would never wish on any girl, not even the mean girls.

_This has to be one of life's worst punishments,_ Sakuno thought. _My life couldn't be any worse than this._

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Ryoma felt ill. Every day was a drag for him. Daily functions were becoming harder and harder for him to do. Nothing was the same since Sakuno told him off. Ryoma felt as if he was truly suffering. Never before had he felt a pain like this one. He was just lucky that he didn't have tennis practice anymore. Ryoma wasn't sure if he could have made it through a long practice with the team. And to make matters worse, he couldn't see Sakuno every day. At least at school Ryoma caught a glimpse of Sakuno every once in a while. Now that they were on break, Ryoma wouldn't ever be able to see Sakuno.

_Will I be able to survive now that Sakuno hates me? _Ryoma thought. _Everything is so different now._

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"Mou," Sakuno sighed as she made her way to the store.

Her grandmother was tired of watching Sakuno mope around the house. The older woman didn't think she would be able to look at the teenager for an entire break. She decided to send Sakuno on an errand.

And so here she was finishing up the grocery shopping. As she walked out of the market, Sakuno dropped her purse. While trying to retrieve it, Sakuno noticed that an old lady was trying to cross the street. She also noticed the car heading straight for her.

"Miss, watch out!" Sakuno yelled as loud as she could. Then she took off running. "Miss, please get-"

Screech!

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Ryoma tried to practice tennis a little by hitting the wall with the ball. He just couldn't get rid of the feeling that something was wrong. The feeling just kept nagging at him.

Snap.

One of Ryoma's racket strings broke. Now he knew there was something wrong in the world.

_What does this bad omen mean?_ Ryoma thought.


	4. Chapter 4 The Results

Chapter 4

The Results

_What's this sharp pain? Where am I? It's so cold here. And dark. I can't breathe. Is this what it feels like when you die? I just feel like screaming. I don't want to die. Help. Help me. Please, anyone. Wait. Where's that light coming from? Should I go to it? It's worth a try._

Sakuno opened her eyes. The room was dim. As she looked out the window to her right she saw that the sun was setting. Sakuno glanced around the room to see where she was. It seemed that she was in a hospital room. How did she get there? How long had she been there? What had happened?

The door to her room was opened a bit. A nurse peeked inside to see Sakuno sitting up in her bed.

"Oh good, you're awake," the nurse said with a smile on her face. "I'll go tell the doctor."

The nurse quickly left leaving a confused Sakuno behind. After about ten minutes a man walked in wearing a long white coat.

"Hello. It's good to see you up. You had me worried for a second." The doctor kept talking not allowing any time for Sakuno to cut in. "Well, let's cut to the chase, shall we? You probably have quite a few questions that you want answered, correct? First of all, my name is Takasu Jiro. You were hit by a car while saving an old lady. And before you ask, yes she's alright. The person who hit you said that he will take care of all expenses, and to try to keep this on the down low. He has a lot of influence in the community, you see."

All Sakuno could do was nod. Takasu continued to speak.

"Well, now I have some bad news. First off, the way the car hit you a cut was left on your back. I had to put in eight stitches. You'll be sore for a few weeks, but you should heal quite nicely. Next is the worse news. When the car hit you, you hit your head. The part of your head that was damaged is where your brain connects to your vocal senses. That means you have lost the part of you that remembers how to form words, how to speak so to say."

Takasu let it all sink in. Sakuno opened her mouth as if to deny what he was saying only to realize it was true. She couldn't talk. Nothing was coming out of her mouth. Tears started to run down her face. Takasu cleared his throat. Sakuno looked up at him.

"If you would please write down your name, I would like to contact your relatives to explain your situation. Don't worry everything will be fine."

Sakuno nodded her head as Takasu handed her paper and a pen.

What was she going to do now? Ryoma's wish came true after all. She wouldn't talk anymore.


	5. Chapter 5 The Continuation

Chapter 5

The Continuation

Ryoma's alarm went off. And for once, Ryoma was glad to get up. He didn't waste any time getting dressed. Today was going to be a good day. His cousin, Nanako, even made his favorite breakfast. It would have been perfect if his father wasn't there.

"Eh? Brat, what's the hurry? Normally you hate the first day of school."

Ryoma didn't even bother answering. In truth, the only thing he hated about his father this morning was him trying to hide those disgusting magazines. As he quickly left his house, he told his mom what his dad was up to. Hearing his dad being yelled at made him grin. Something he hadn't done in a long time. He was ready to see Sakuno again. Maybe he could set everything right. Even if his sempai were there, he would try to restart their friendship.

Ryoma was even on time for the tennis meeting before school. He was glad to see his sempai again, but right now Ryoma was ready for the meeting to be over so he could see his beloved.

_Beloved?_ Ryoma thought. Yeah, right. He just wanted things to be normal. At least while the sempai were around. Maybe after they graduated-no way. What was he thinking? He just wanted her to be his friend again. Nothing more, right?

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"Eh? What's up with ochibi? He's been kind of slow since he got here. He didn't try to challenge anyone to a match when we got free time to get reacquainted." Eiji was as frantic as ever. His doubles partner, Oishi, was trying to calm him down.

"No clue," Momoshiro answered. "Whenever I invited him out over the break, he just moped the whole time."

Kaidoh just hissed at the statement.

Inui did as always and wrote everything down in his notebook.

"Hm," Fuji hummed. "That is strange for our Echizen. Don't you think so too, Tezuka?"

The stoic captain didn't answer. He only looked at his kouhai.

"I'm really worried, though," Oishi said. Soon enough the bell rang signaling the start of school.

All the regulars watched as their kouhai's face lit up at the sound.

"Hey, Echizen," Momo called. "Wait up."

Eiji and Momo ran to catch up with Ryoma. They were going to try to talk to him before classes started.

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Sakuno slowly made her way up to the school. Tomoka was chatting away beside her. Sakuno was both afraid and excited. This is the first day she would try to make her decision come to past.

Flashback

Tomoka and the older Ryuzaki stared at Sakuno with tears in their eyes. When Takasu had called Sumire, Tomoka was already at the Ryuzaki house. She received a call from her friend's grandmother when Sakuno was late coming back from the store.

Before they arrived, Sakuno had made up her mind on how to handle the situation. Now she only needs to tell the two that were staring at her.

**Are you two okay?** Sakuno wrote.

"Of course we aren't. Sakuno you were hit by a car." Sumire was understandably upset.

**But I'm fine.**

"Sakuno, you can't talk!" Tomoka exclaimed.

**I will go to speech therapy. Plus, we don't have to pay for a thing.**

"That's true, but what how this messes this up your life," Sumire didn't seem to be growing less upset.

**How?**

Neither one could answer.

**I'm going to speak in time so there's no real problem.**

"I guess," Sumire said finally calm. "We will have to notify your school. And work out a new schedule for you."

**WAIT!**

"What is it?"

**Can we tell the teachers not to tell anyone? I don't want to cause a scene at school.**

Sumire just stared at her granddaughter. Finally, she sighed. "If that's what you really want, I guess we can work something out with the school, too."

Sakuno smiled. Soon Sumire left the room, leaving Sakuno and Tomoka behind.

Tomoka looked at her best friend. "Why are you doing this, Sakuno?"

**To become stronger.**

"Stronger?" asked a confused Tomoka.

**I want to make this a strength, not a weakness. That boy made me realize that I'm still weak. Maybe I can do more this way. Plus, silence is bliss.**

"You're crazy, but I understand why you are doing this." Tomoka half smiled at her best friend.

**Remember not to tell anyone about what that boy said.**

"Of course." There could only be one "that boy" and Tomoka was sure that not talking to him was the right thing to do for now.

End flashback

Sakuno was still thinking back on all the events that had happened over vacation. She didn't even see the rather tall boy standing in front of her. Sakuno bumped into the boy and fell on her butt.

"Ah, Ryuzaki-chan. Sorry didn't see you there."

Sakuno looked up to see Momo. Behind him were Eiji, Fuji, and "that boy."

Ryoma stared at Sakuno as Momo helped her up. For him, it was a beautiful sight.

"Sakuno, are you okay?" Tomoka asked.

Sakuno nodded while smiling. She was happy to see her sempai again. And if a certain someone wasn't there then it would have been better.

"Sakuno-chan, it's good to see you again," Fuji said.

"That's right, Sakuno-chan," Eiji added. "It's been so long since we last saw you."

"And we didn't for you Tomoka-san," Fuji said turning his attention to the other girl who was busy looking at Ryoma, who hadn't said a word yet.

"Hello, sempai," Tomoka replied. She felt that it was time to move on. "Ah, Sakuno, c'mon we're going to be late."

Sakuno bowed towards her sempai, and then walked away with her best friend. Sakuno never even looked at Ryoma.

Momo, Eiji, and Fuji noticed this. The three looked between themselves, and then at their kouhai's face. Now they understood everything.


	6. Chapter 6 Understanding

Chapter 6

Understanding

Tomoka and Sakuno checked to see what class they were in.

"Ah! Sakuno, we're in the same class this year."

Sakuno smiled at her best friend. They continued to see who else was in their class.

"Eh? Why do we have to have Horio in our class?"

"It's not like being in the same class with you is any better," said Horio, who happened to be standing behind them.

Tomoka and Horio continued to bicker while Sakuno finished reading the list. She was happy to see a certain someone was not in her class.

"C'mon, Sakuno! We need to get to class! Move out the way, unibrow."

As Sakuno and Tomoka made their way to class, Sakuno was called to the principal's office.

Sakuno went to the office and knocked.

"Enter."

Sakuno walked into the office.

"Ah, Miss Ryuzaki. Please sit down." The principal was an old woman who seemed to sweat authority. "Your grandmother has contacted me about your situation, and I agree with you. We shall keep this matter to ourselves. The teachers know not to ask you questions in which you will have to vocalize your answer. If asked anything you will write your answers on the board. Do not worry you will not be the only student who will have to answer this way."

The principal paused for a second to make sure Sakuno understood. Then she continued speaking, "I don't want anything interrupting my school. And I don't really believe in special treatment. However if you situation becomes common knowledge, we will deal with it then." Another pause. "You may leave know."

Sakuno nearly jumped out of her seat. Her new principal made her feel really small for some reason. She hoped she wouldn't have to meet with the principal often.

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After the incident on the first day of school, the regulars observed both Ryoma and Sakuno. Sakuno never came to cheer them on after school like she used to. And in the hallways, Sakuno seemed to never even see Ryoma.

The regulars were even jumpier now that they were nearing their first match of the year. Especially since Ryoma was still a bit off his game.

"Now I'm really worried," Oishi said. "What should we do? He is clearly affected by this."

"That's right," Eiji added. "Ochibi almost didn't make the regulars. If Taka was still playing he definitely would have been out."

"I wonder what happened between them," Momo thought out loud.

"None of my data can pin point the source of the whole situation," Inui answered.

"Something must have happened," Oishi said. "It's not like Ryuzaki-chan to ignore someone."

"Maybe we should talk to Echizen after practice," Fuji commented.

Everyone agreed.

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After practice, Ryoma was cornered by his sempai.

"Echizen, we need to talk."

Ryoma said nothing. So they continued.

"What happened between you and Ryuzaki-chan? She's been ignoring you since the beginning of school."

Sakuno's name caused a reaction from Ryoma. When the older students saw this they remained quiet waiting until Ryoma was ready to answer. Ryoma looked into each of the faces of his sempai.

"I don't know," he finally replied.

"What do you mean, Echizen?" Fuji asked gently.

It took Ryoma another moment before he answered. "About a month before we graduate Sakuno told me she wanted to end our friendship. She kept saying that she didn't want to be a bother, and when I denied it, she refused to believe me. She hasn't said a word to me since." Ryoma looked up at his sempai. "I don't know what I did."

The regulars saw the pain this had caused their kouhai. And the relief he felt when he finally told what happened.

Tezuka walked over to Ryoma. "Let's find out what has happened."

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The next day was their day off. All the regulars, including Ryoma, made their way over to the Ryuzaki residence. Their old coach opened the door.

"What a surprise this is. What are all of you doing here?"

"It's good to see you, Sensei," Fuji said. "We were wondering if we could talk to your granddaughter for a minute."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Sumire replied.

"Please, Sensei," Ryoma whispered. "I need to talk to her."

Sumire looked at the young boy. He had never looked so desperate.

"Alright," Sumire sighed. "It's fine with me."

The regulars made their way into the living room as Sumire yelled for Sakuno to come down. Sakuno along with Tomoka was surprised to see the regulars in her living room. Sakuno gave them a confused look. Her gaze passed over Ryoma automatically. The regulars decided that Ryoma shouldn't be the first to talk.

"Sakuno-chan, it's really good to see you," Fuji began.

"Yeah, we've missed your cheering, Ryuzaki-chan," Momo added.

Tomoka and Sakuno looked at each other.

"Umm, senpai, why are you guys here?" Tomoka asked.

Fuji chuckled. "Straight to the point I see. Well, we would like to ask Sakuno-chan a question."

There was an awkward silence. Kaidoh just happened to be the one to break the silence.

"We want to know the reason why you are avoiding Echizen." More awkwardness.

Sakuno held up a finger, and raced out of the room with Tomoka. They entered the kitchen where Sumire was.

**What should I do?** Sakuno wrote on the nearby pad.

"I don't know," Tomoka answered.

"What's going on?"

"They want to know something that we can't tell them."

Sumire thought. Finally she said, "It's your choice, Sakuno. Just ask yourself this 'Am I ready to let the truth go free?'"

Sakuno thought hard on the question. Her senpai had always been so good to her. It was the least she could do. Who knows maybe she would feel better having others know her secret. She trusted them.

Sakuno turned towards Sumire and Tomoka, and smiled.

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The regulars waited in silence for Sakuno returned. When she did, she set a tape recorder on the table. Tomoka announced that they would leave and go shopping. She also told them the tape and Sumire would explain everything. As soon Sakuno pressed play, they left.

The regulars and Sumire were shocked as they heard the conversation between Horio and Ryoma. Ryoma stared at the recorder, and everyone stared at Ryoma. Momo turned it off after Ryoma wished that Sakuno couldn't talk anymore.

Everyone was silent. Sumire was the one to break the silence.

"Now it makes sense."

"What does, Sensei?" Eiji asked.

"When you all were on break, Sakuno was in an accident. She lost the ability to talk. She's been in speech therapy ever since."

"Why didn't we hear about this? Something like this would be in the news."

"The man who hit her has some power in the community."

"Ochibi, what are you going to do now?"

Everyone looked to see that Ryoma was still in shock.

"Echizen," Tezuka said. "Are you going to leave everything as it is?"

Ryoma shook his head.

"Then go and fight for your chance to gain her trust back."

And with that Ryoma took off.


	7. Chapter 7 Knowing

A/N: Hey, minna-san. Sorry it's been so long since I last updated. This should be the next to the last chapter. Thanks for your support.

I do not own the Prince of Tennis.

Chapter 7

Knowing

She could picture everything. She could see everyone's reaction in her mind. Her grandmother would be calm and understanding. The regulars would have different expressions. And "that boy" he would have the worst face of all. Sakuno wondered what actions he would take. Would he stop pretending that he liked her? Would he try to talk to her? Sakuno also wondered how she would react to him. After Ryoma finally knows the truth would anything change, or just stay the same.

_Do I want things to change?_ Sakuno thought.

"Ryuzaki!"

Sakuno panicked. She knew that voice. What she didn't know was if she should stop, or keep going? Sakuno looked at her best friend for help.

Tomoka turned to face Sakuno. "It's up to you, Sakuno. I'm going to the mall. You can come with me now or catch up with me later." Tomoka half smiled at Sakuno, then gave her a hug before walking away.

_Tomo_ Sakuno thought. _What would I do without you?_

Ryoma had now caught up with Sakuno. Sakuno turned and stared at him. She didn't know where to go from here.

"Ryuzaki, please hear me out," Ryoma started. He couldn't believe he was this nervous. He took a breath. "You were not supposed to hear that conversation. I was just trying to get Horio off my back. I figured it couldn't hurt anything. I would never wish that on you. You have to believe me." Ryoma stopped. He didn't know where he was supposed to go from there. All he could was wait for her response.

Sakuno continued to look at Ryoma. She thought about what he said. It was time to decide her path. Sakuno reached into her bag for paper and a pencil.

**I don't have to believe you. I did hear that conversation. You did say that stuff. And you did make that wish. **Sakuno wrote.

Ryoma was shocked at her response. He thought she would be glad to hear that what he said wasn't true, that he didn't mean any of it. "Why are you acting like this? I told you I didn't mean it."

**But you did say it. Nothing changes that fact. **

Sakuno paused. She thought about all the things that have happened. She was in an accident, she lost her voice, and she had to go through all the pain. But she has also gained. She has made new friends, people who actually like her and hasn't even realized her inability to talk. Sakuno had become stronger. She looked at what she had last written. _Nothing changes. _Sakuno knew her path. She wrote down what she had decided, folded it up, and handed it to Ryoma.

Ryoma read the note. When he looked up to talk to Sakuno, she was gone.

**The past can't be changed, but it can make one stronger. Good-bye, Ryoma. Do not approach me again.**

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Sakuno walked up to the school. When she reached the door, she saw the regulars.

"Ohayo, Sakuno-chan!" Eiji called.

Sakuno replied with a wave and a smile.

"Sakuno, there you are!" Tomoka yelled as she ran up to the school. "Ah, sempai, how are you?"

"We're fine."

Sakuno and Tomoka glanced at each other.

"Umm, sempai, please don't tell anyone about Sakuno's condition."

"Of course we won't," Fuji said. "But Sakuno could you do us a favor?"

Sakuno nodded.

Momo continued, "Please forgive Echizen. He didn't mean it."

_I know _Sakuno mouthed. The bell rang so the students split up.

"I guess you didn't forgive him, did you?" Tomoka asked her best friend.

Sakuno reached into her pocket for the note she had prepared.

It read **No. He never apologized.**

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Ryoma was hurt by Sakuno's decision. But he decided to tolerate it. About a month had past when he realized that he could bear with it no longer. He felt the worst had produced itself. He saw some guy flirting with his Sakuno. And what's worst, she was actually responding. Of course there were no words coming out of her mouth, but she showed confidence with the boy. She smiled and quietly laughed at the boy. Ryoma didn't know what to feel, so he just walked away.


	8. Chapter 8 Speak

A/N: Last chapter boys and girls. Please enjoy

I do not own the Prince of Tennis.

Chapter 8

Speak

On her way home, Sakuno thought about everything. She felt so happy for some reason. She felt as if a weight had suddenly lifted itself from her shoulders. Ever since she finalized how her relationship with Ryoma should be she has felt a kind of relief. They weren't meant to be boyfriend and girlfriend, and they weren't even meant to be friends. No relation was the best relationship for them. Things were finally going as they were supposed to. A boy from her class even asked her out. She even got to flirt with him a little before telling him no. She thought back to how Tomoka asked her why she said no. For some reason, Sakuno didn't have a reason. She just knew that he wasn't for her. She would never feel for him what he felt for her. He wasn't Ryoma.

_Ryoma? _She thought. Sakuno stopped in her tracks. This wasn't what she wanted to think about. She felt relief, not suffering. Something hit Sakuno's foot. She looked down to see it was a tennis ball.

"Hey," someone called. "Can you throw that back over here?"

Sakuno looked up to see she had stopped by a street tennis court. As she threw the ball back to the players, she remembered seeing the boy from her class looking as if he got punched in the face. Or hit by a tennis ball. Sakuno raced home to think about her epiphany.

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"Echizen seems to be getting worse," Momoshiro observed. The other regulars nodded in agreement.

"He still wins his games," added Inui, "but not as quickly."

"How do you think Echizen will do today?" Fuji asked.

"That's still to be determined," Inui answered.

"Ochibi did hit some powerful shots when he was aiming at that first year the other day," Eiji said.

"But that doesn't tell us how he will play today," Kaidoh retorted.

"I guess he is still thinking about Sakuno, huh?" Momo assumed.

"Will Ochibi be okay?" Eiji cried out.

No one had the answer. The regulars stood in silence.

"Captain, what should we do?" Oishi questioned.

"Nothing," the stoic captain replied. "It's up to him now." Tezuka walked out the clubroom leaving the others behind.

Everyone sighed. It was time to leave for their match.

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Things were not going well for Ryoma. He was losing and everyone was in shock. For one, his opponent wasn't anything special. And secondly, it was not like Ryoma to be so stressed. He was losing because he was frustrated, and he was frustrated because he was losing. The others didn't know what to do. Their kouhai needed to get through this on his own, but they couldn't help but wonder how he was going to do it. They all had the say thought.

_He needs Sakuno._

"4 games to 1," the referee (A/N: umpire?) shouted.

Half the crowd cheered for Ryoma's opponent, while the other half sighed. Everyone wondered if Ryoma was going to make a comeback or just give this match to the opponent. The audience quieted as Ryoma got ready to serve.

"Fight-o, Ryoma-kun!" Everyone heard the cheer. All eyes, including the ones of said Ryoma-kun, looked towards the auburn haired young lady. "Ganbatte, Ryoma-kun!" she continued.

Ryoma smiled a genuine smile. He turned towards his opponent, pointed his racket at him, and said, "Mada mada dane."

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Today was her last day of speech therapy. Sakuno needed help. Since the other night Sakuno had been wondering how she should handle everything. The girl was going into a serious overload. So she asked her doctor about second chances. As Sakuno remembered, she smiled at what the doctor told her.

"Love is an addiction. Love is something you can't live without. Love is second chances. And third, and fourth, and fifth, and even 100th chances. But only you can decide if it's right to give though chances."

"What if I'm relieved without him?" Sakuno asked.

"Relief presents something totally different. Sure you don't feel the pressure, but what is life without it? Plus love isn't about relaxation."

Sakuno was obviously not convinced.

"Think about this Sakuno. Do you regret anything? Look at how you are now. Are you going to always wonder about him and feel loneliness without him? Are you always going to look for your special person? If so, you're not ready to give him up. You're just getting into the game. And yes, love is a type of game."

Sakuno thought about this. Was she ready to give him up totally?

"Sensei, could you give me a ride somewhere?"

"Well, I suppose so seeing as you're my last patient today. Where are we heading?"

"To find my special person."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ryoma won 6 games to 4. The crowd was going wild. Even his opponent's fans. They had never seen a comeback like the one they'd just witnessed. Once Ryoma finished, he looked into the stands for Sakuno. But she was gone. He wanted to go look for her, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He looked up to see his captain. Immediately he understood. The matches were not over. He had to wait until the end. He just prayed that Sakuno would wait for him.

The regulars came out on top. They shook hands with their opponents. And as soon as they were finished, Ryoma took off. He searched for Sakuno, but he didn't have to go far. She was standing by the water fountain. She was waiting for him.

"Ryuzaki," he whispered.

"We need to talk."

"Okay." In truth, he was excited that she was here, that she cheered for him, and that she was speaking to him.

"In our time apart, I was happy. You hurt me. You wished something on me, and it came true. I blamed you, and I kind of still do." Sakuno paused. Ryoma was just letting her speak. "The worst part of it all is that you never apologized." Ryoma's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to speak, but Sakuno stopped him. "It's okay now. Really. I know it's you being you. That's why I like you. Why I fell in love with you."

Sakuno let it all sink in. Ryoma stepped towards her. He paused then kissed her.

"I'm sorry," Ryoma said. "I like you too."

"It feels good to talk it all out."

"I bet."

"Alright!!!"

Sakuno and Ryoma turned to see their sempai standing behind them.

"It's about time."

A/N: Thanks for all the support. I have more fanfiction on the way. It might take a second because my computer's getting fixed but I may start before it gets taken away for those few days. Fingers crossed.


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